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Ahh, yes. Kimchi. I love the simple beauty of a few ingredients turned into something that is truly unique. I've overheard many arguments in the kitchen about what kimchi should be made of, what kind of ingredients to use, and even what kind of pot to ferment it in. I have respect for all of these arguments, because they are all right in their own way. If you look up the definition of Kimchi, it is "a vegetable pickle seasoned with garlic, red pepper and ginger." It is also the national dish of Korea. (Korean astronauts actually brought some with them to the international space station) I have heard from a few sources that when some people smile for the camera in Korea, they don't say "cheese" they actually say "kimchi!"

I wanted to play around with a "non-traditional" version with a few different vegetables that we grew this year. I am personally a huge fan of the "original" fermented version made with the aromatic & unmistakeable dried gochugaru chile powder. I also love the depth of flavor you get by adding the traditional fermented fish of your choice. (fish sauce, dried shrimp, salted oysters, etc) so I added a touch of them to this version as a background flavor. I sourced some really special heirloom chiles this year from the farm. A couple of the varieties we used were: Reza Macedonian & Fish peppers. We dried some of them out to preserve them and save them for the winter.

After drying them out, we lightly pounded them in a mortar & pestile to loosen the seeds and release the oils. We removed as many of the seeds as possible to lower the spice level a bit. (these suckers are HOT enough as it is!!) This is also important for when you grind them into chile powder. You can save the seeds for another use like sausages or infused oils, etc.

QUICK TIP: If the dried peppers are slightly pliable, you can toast them in a 300 degree oven for 12-15 minutes, then let them rest at room temp for 15 minutes or until they are completely dry , before grinding. They will crisp up and be ready to go!

Here is a pic of one of our stunning heads of napa cabbage that we grew from seed this year. This is such a beautiful plant! After all the waiting for this to grow, it truly deserves to be fermented and preserved for months to come.

We harvest these beauties throughout the season. I try to plant the seeds in stages so the we can always have some on hand. Out of all the things that we grow, Napa cabbage is definitely one of our staple/go to veggies. It's delicious raw, cooked, steamed, fermented, stuffed, you name it! Its always ready to back me up in a pinch. For this kimchi recipe, we like to cut the heads of cabbage into 2 inch by 2 inch pieces.

Slice the cabbage lengthwise into thirds. Then, slice the opposite way into large 2" x 2" pieces.

You can ferment the whole head, or cut in half, etc. If you want smaller pieces, you can feel free to do so. Once it is cleaned and chopped to your liking, you can mix together with onions or leeks and toss with salt & a touch of unrefined sugar. (sugar is optional)

Try to shred the carrots the long way so that you can get the thickest and longest "strings" as possible. You want to avoid them from being small and mealy.

These white carrots that we grew this year were so damn delicious! We had to put them in some sort of ferment, so that we can enjoy them later in the year. The next step is to shred the rest of your radishes and then add the grated ginger & garlic.

The watermelon radish in this pic was born from a random seed that must have fell out of a package. It was sitting there all alone in the garden! We gave it a good home.

Combine all of the ingredients together and check the salt/seasoning. Adjust to your liking, but be sure to pack it down into clean containers and add some of the brine (see recipe) if necessary, to make sure the kimchi is fully submerged in the brine. (we weighed ours down with a clean, large, smooth surfaced river rock.) You should let the kimchi ferment for a least 8 to 10 days before refrigerating. The picture below was fermented for 3 weeks. It is tangy, floral and spicy, with the perfect crunch!